Todd Winkler is a former Air Force fighter pilot and Abbott Laboratories executive who is serving 26 years to life at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center for the first-degree murder of his wife, Rachel Winkler, at their Cameron Park, California home in February 2012. An El Dorado County jury convicted him in October 2014. His earliest projected parole suitability hearing falls in 2034.
What Happened to Rachel Winkler
On February 27, 2012, a neighbor called 911 after a disturbance at the Winkler home in Cameron Park, east of Sacramento. Deputies found Todd Winkler on the front steps. He told them Rachel was dead inside. Rachel Winkler, a mother and the manager of the Cameron Park Airpark, had been fatally stabbed with a pair of scissors.
Winkler told investigators an argument had escalated into a physical fight. He said Rachel attacked him with the scissors first, that he gained control of the weapon during the struggle, and that he stabbed her in the neck. He called it a “kill or be killed” situation and claimed self-defense. Prosecutors did not accept that account. The placement and severity of Rachel’s wounds, together with inconsistencies in his story, led the El Dorado County District Attorney’s office to charge him with murder.
The Earlier Death of Catherine Winkler
Rachel was not the first of Winkler’s wives to die under suspicious circumstances. On September 26, 1999, his second wife, Catherine “Kathy” Winkler, was killed in a single-vehicle crash in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia. Winkler told investigators Catherine was driving him to a hospital after a severe allergic reaction to a bug bite when she lost control of their truck. The vehicle went off the side of a ravine and burst into flames. Winkler said he was thrown clear but could not save her. Investigators at the time ruled the crash an accident.
That history became central to Rachel’s murder trial. The prosecution successfully argued that evidence of Catherine’s death was admissible to show intent and to undercut the self-defense claim. Some of the original investigators from Georgia testified they had lingering doubts about Winkler’s account. On appeal, Winkler challenged the admission of this evidence, and the California Court of Appeal found the trial court had not erred in allowing it.1Justia Law. People v. Winkler
The Trial and Conviction
The trial in El Dorado County Superior Court lasted four weeks and included twelve days of testimony. Winkler spent two and a half days on the stand. He admitted killing Rachel and even said he had wanted her to die, but he insisted the killing happened during a struggle she initiated. His courtroom behavior worked against him. During opening statements he erupted in an outburst, slapping his own head and screaming incoherently, an episode the prosecution used to portray him as manipulative rather than mentally unstable.
Deputy District Attorney Lisette Suder led the case, characterizing Winkler as a calculating killer. The state presented forensic evidence about wound placement and the timeline of the morning, along with testimony from people Rachel had confided in about her fear of her husband. On October 22, 2014, the jury returned a verdict of first-degree murder, finding the killing willful, deliberate, and premeditated.1Justia Law. People v. Winkler
Why the Sentence Is 26 Years to Life
The sentence has two components. Under California Penal Code Section 190, first-degree murder carries a base term of 25 years to life in state prison.2California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 190 Because Winkler used scissors as a weapon, the court added a one-year enhancement under Penal Code Section 12022(b)(1), which imposes an extra consecutive year for personally using a deadly or dangerous weapon during a felony.3California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 12022 Combined, the sentence means he must serve a minimum of 26 years before appearing before a parole board.
A life sentence with the possibility of parole does not guarantee release after the minimum term. Twenty-six years is the floor. Whether Winkler ever leaves prison depends on whether the Board of Parole Hearings later finds him suitable.
The Appeal
Winkler appealed to the California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District. He argued the trial court should not have admitted evidence about Catherine’s 1999 death or Rachel’s prior statements to others about fearing him. He also challenged the sufficiency of the evidence supporting premeditation, contending the killing should have been classified as second-degree murder at most. He identified an error on the abstract of judgment, which incorrectly referenced a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
In 2020, the appellate court affirmed the conviction on all substantive grounds, finding substantial evidence of premeditation and no error in the trial court’s evidentiary rulings. It did order one correction: the abstract of judgment had to be fixed to reflect an indeterminate sentence of 25 years to life, removing the erroneous reference to life without parole.1Justia Law. People v. Winkler The correction mattered because an abstract marked “life without parole” could have affected his future parole eligibility on paper, even though the jury never imposed that sentence.
Where Todd Winkler Is Now
Winkler is housed at San Quentin, which was officially renamed the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in July 2023 following the passage of Assembly Bill 134.4California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. San Quentin Learning Center The renaming was tied to a state initiative refocusing the facility on programming and reentry preparation.
Winkler has participated in that programming. In October 2024, he won the Best Screenplay Pitch award at the facility’s inaugural film festival for a script called “Exodus.” Scott Budnick, the executive producer of “The Hangover” and a member of the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center Advisory Council, presented the award.5California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Cinematic First – San Quentin Film Festival Now Streaming He has also written publicly about helping other incarcerated people struggling with addiction. Institutional behavior and program participation are among the factors the Board of Parole Hearings weighs when deciding whether to grant parole.
When He Could Be Released
Winkler has no guaranteed release date. His earliest projected parole suitability hearing is in 2034, roughly 22 years after his 2012 custody date when accounting for pre-sentence credits. The hearing is a full evaluation. The Board of Parole Hearings examines the original crime, behavior throughout incarceration, psychological evaluations, and any statements from the victim’s family.6California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Parole Suitability Hearing Results
Even a favorable finding would not settle the matter. Because the conviction is for murder, the Governor of California has authority to review and potentially reverse or modify any parole grant.7Governor of California. Parole
California’s Elderly Parole Program under Penal Code Section 3055 could give Winkler an earlier path. The program makes incarcerated people eligible for a hearing once they reach age 50 and have served at least 20 continuous years on their current sentence. The board is directed to give special consideration to whether age, time served, and any diminished physical condition have reduced the person’s risk of future violence.8California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Elderly Parole Hearings
Winkler was 47 at his 2014 conviction, so he has already passed the age-50 threshold. The 20-year continuous incarceration requirement, counted from his 2012 custody date, would be satisfied around 2032, about two years earlier than his standard projected hearing. The program excludes people sentenced to life without parole, those sentenced under California’s three-strikes law, and those convicted of murdering a peace officer. None of those exclusions apply to Winkler.8California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Elderly Parole Hearings